 |
|
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 POLLUTION Troubled water, near and far Silverdocs The annual Silverdocs documentary film festival runs through June 27 in Silver Spring. This year's lineup of 102 films from 54 countries includes a few films with science themes, such as "Born Sweet," a heartbreaker about Vinh, a Cambodian boy with arsenic poisoning. In his rural village, tainted drinking water has given someone in almost every family arsenic poisoning, which causes black spots on the skin, coughing, diarrhea and vomiting. Vinh's father and grandfather are also afflicted. The boy dreams of becoming a karaoke star but grapples with what he sees as his destiny: "In this world, some people are salty, some people are sweet," he says in a voice-over. "The salty are strong, the sweet are sickly." This 28-minute film plays with a group of three other shorts Tuesday at noon at the AFI Silver Theatre and also on June 23. See http://www.silverdocs.com for ticket information. Also focused on water contamination is "On Coal River," a full-length feature about four residents of the Coal River Valley of West Virginia confronting Massey Energy (owner of the mine that exploded in April, killing 29) about environmental abuses that, they say, have sickened their community. It's tough to argue with the bottle of black sludge and yellow water that activist Maria Lambert pulled up from a contaminated well. Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062104045.html Tags: Silverdocs Film Festival Addresses Pollution In Cambodia And West Virginia
|
|
